Come, gentle night
by StardustToRememberYouBy
Summary: Sometimes, late at night, he will think of her. He will ponder how she made him feel and how desperately he wishes to get back to those days. In spite of the danger, the misguided bodies surrounding them, and the turmoil tearing his country apart, he loves her–of that he is certain. Ben x OC. In-progress. Set in various points in the timeline.
1. Chapter 1

The burning sensation in the muscles tightening in his lower calf muscles as he hustled his way to the stables would have been enough to stop any man in their tracks and turn them back for fear of what was to come. In the case of Benjamin Tallmadge, however, a charging, relentless drive overcame every other possible outcome for the day and he could see, hear, and think of nothing else aside from _her_.

When Abe had blurted out the reappearance of a woman so ethereal that Ben himself could barely breathe, finding her became his one objective for the day and overshadowed all else that he had been tasked with doing. Regardless of his duties as a soldier and a Patriot, Ben understood more than anything else that he was first and foremost a man, a man who had lost his love some time ago when she had been forcibly taken from him and returned to her homeland. Now, allegedly, she was back.

As he mounted his horse and quickly stole away into the night, he was suddenly thankful for the cover of darkness and for the chill in the air to cool his skin as his body temperature quickly heightened to dangerously shaky levels. He attempted to maintain composure, but the thoughts of her soon swarmed him and he forced himself to turn his thoughts to other things, topics to calm his nerves and allow for a steady hand and a swift journey.

Boston was a large city, so when he arrived, how could he be certain that he could even find her, a diamond amid the dirt? Perhaps she would be the one to seek him out, but, then again, she was unaware that he was currently on horseback riding through the biting air to try and reach her as quickly as possible.

Ben had to find her. He _had_ to. The mere thought of being with her when he had thought that all was lost in their love was enough to drive him on, enough to push him the distance between them until the gaps in their presences were closed. Until that moment, he would travel onward.

His horse kept on, but Ben refused to force the animal to run any harder than necessary for fear of its heart giving out before he arrived at Boston. Of course, he could not afford to lose any time regarding the need for a new means of transportation should his horse fail, so he pressed on and remained as steady in pace as he possibly could.

 **::::**

The first time they had met was at Yale when Ben had first been accepted into their educational system and had begun to study classics and politics. He had taken his education very seriously, so it was not at all surprising when a certain young woman, a female by the name of Georgina Dockery, became a distraction for him while simultaneously becoming the object of his affection.

He still found the capability and the want to learn fascinating, but he made time for her, time with which they could properly get to know one another. Ben was smitten with her the first moment he made her acquaintance, but he kept such thoughts to himself until he was certain that she would either be accepting of this notion or, better yet, return the sentiments.

Ben had attached himself to simplistic and realistic ventures where she was concerned, focusing on meaningful conversations and deep, slow walks amid the vast gardens of her family's estate.

She was beyond beautiful. She bore long, brunette hair that was often pinned up against her scalp in eloquent and elaborate ways, but there were always a few pin curls that seemed to outstay their welcome and dangle from the sides and back of her hair, but not in an unkempt kind of way. Rather, it was becoming. Her eyes were of a sincere shade of emerald green, and her nose was quite Germanic in nature. Her lips were full and naturally pink and stretched their way across straight, white teeth that any woman of their time would have given anything to possess. Broad shoulders that were not too manly were set against her womanly figure, lovely in nature and graceful to behold. Her skin was an ivory shade with a pinkish hue beneath it that seemed to give the impression that she was perpetually blushing. Dresses with squared necks framed her shapely and ample cleavage, feminine breasts formed to the corset beneath the yards-upon-yards of elegant material hiding the svelte goddess that it masked. Georgina - or as her closer relationships called her "Georgie" - was perfection in its finest and Ben yearned for her in a way that he had never before felt for anyone, nor would he ever be that way about another woman in his life. His dear mother had been one thing; of course, the love he felt for Georgie was anything but familial except, perhaps, in the Biblical sense.

Georgie was elegance personified and Ben was in love.

"Georgie," the young woman's female companion said as she approached her friend in the gardens now bustling with faces and voices of newcomers to her home, "have you met a few of the young scholars who are gracing us with their presences this fine evening?"

Georgie smiled at the young men who approached her, all of whom seemed to be shaken at their very cores that a woman of her caliber would give them such a warm and sincere expression. "No, I have not," she responded. "Welcome to our home, gentlemen."

"Miss Dockery," they all greeted, bowing in turn and removing their hats if they happened to be wearing one at the time.

"Who might you be?" she asked of the first young man in the line.

A blond boy with a nervous disposition outstretched his hand to take hers, but just before he could touch her hand in a moment of politeness, he withdrew his extended limb and merely gave her a slight smirk.

"Henry Atkins, Miss Georgina," he greeted, and she curtsied in spite of his blatant disregard for her. "Delighted."

Georgie returned the smirk but added her own comment to it. "It would not appear that you are, in fact, delighted to make my acquaintance, Mister Atkins. You actually appear to be more _daunted_."

Henry Atkins was at a loss for words and backed away, bowing his head as if to get himself away from the conversation that had suddenly shut him out of it.

The next male was called William Quincy Edwards, and he would never let anyone forget any of his three names. Georgie had zero interest in him, though, knowing that her friend was introducing these men as prospective love interests, possible thoughts for a future husband and a solid future. She would have admitted that she did not require any assistance of this nature, but her friend's introductions were more than appreciated to be sure.

Next came Albert Jones, a man of simple nature who just wanted to be a good husband and a farmer, a shortlist of facts that he was sure to tell her as soon as their first names had been exchanged. Georgie thought that he was a kind man, but not her type in any fashion.

A few more men later and she was unsure if she could handle one more introduction, and that's when her guardian angel took her by complete surprise.

"I do apologize for the sods that came before me," Ben stated politely, earning himself an earnest chuckle from Georgie. "I will admit, though, I am quite nervous myself."

"Do you not talk to women much, sir?" Georgie asked, her eyebrows raised in her suspicion.

"I do not, no." Together they shared a small laugh. "Though, to be fair..." He stopped short and waved the rest of his sentence away, almost as if it did not need to be said.

"What is it?"

"Nevermind." Ben merely smiled and bowed at the waist. "Benjamin Tallmadge, my lady."

Georgie curtsied, a blush creeping up beneath her already rosy cheeks. "Georgina Dockery. All of my friends call me 'Georgie.' I hope that you shall do the same."

"Would you consider us friends, Georgie?"

"Not as of yet, I'm afraid, but perhaps in the future we could be friends, yes. Do you go by 'Benjamin' or 'Ben'? I am impartial to either - "

"Ben. I would like it if you called me Ben."

Georgie grinned, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "As you wish...Ben."

They shared smiles and silence, all the while the energy between them created a heated friction that neither wanted to get away from.

 **::::**

That was 1770. The year now was 1778, and so much had transpired since the very beginnings, the humble start of their love and the realism that they were slapped with on an almost-daily basis.

She was everything to him and he had to get that back. From the off, it was clear that the connection was far more than superficial, physical attraction. More than life, more than anything, they were destined, and as cliched as it may have seemed to the outside world, if each could not live out their future with the other, than all would seem pointless. Worthless. A waste of time.

 _No. Not to us. We are supposed to be together - I cannot be without her. Not again. Not anymore_.

Ben allowed his horse to stop and water through the night so that he, at least, could grab a few hours of sleep however restless it would be.

It was.

 **::::**

Georgie's emerald hues were a more vibrant shade of green that day, both cast down at her hands where they lay folded in her lap. The dress she was wearing was a beautiful, sunshine-reflective shade of yellow that seemed to give her a halo of sorts amid the multitude of whites, reds, and various pastels surrounding her in the garden.

Ben quietly sat down beside her, his hands remaining tight within his own reach. Each set of fingers wrung the others, white knuckles trying to convey what his words could not.

She noticed him pulling his own skin taut until the blood had completely escaped them, and she took pity on him, deciding on her own to break the awkward silence by slipping her hand into his personal space and taking one of his hands free from the other, dislodging it and gripping it tightly - albeit affectionately - within her own.

"What will I do here without you?" she questioned, the unanswered statement ringing like a migraine within her mind. "The battlegrounds are always so far away from here."

Ben nodded, gripping her hand within his own. "I will return as often as I can," he reassured her, "and I _will_ come back to you."

"You _must_ ," she pleaded, her eyes meeting his at a more leveled stance than before. "I _need_ you, Ben, quite possibly more than you need me."

Ben shook his head, quickly removing her glove from her fingers and hastily applying her palm to his cheek. Georgie watched him, her chin quivering at the sight of his need for her fleshly caress. "I _have_ to feel your skin on mine. How much more could I possibly crave you?"

Georgie blinked hard, a few tears escaping her eyes as he pressed his cheek further into her hand. "I love you."

Ben nodded fervently. "And I love you."

She felt her shoulders quiver as she leaned into him and pushed her forehead against his. He breathed in her essence, his nose nudging hers affectionately, slowly. After a moment, he closed the space between them - all two inches - and loosened the muscles of his mouth to press against hers.

 **::::**

It hurt him to admit that he needed her more than she needed him, and the sheer memory of the first time each had said 'I love you' to the other, two weeks before Ben was sent off to military training, was almost too much for his already lovesick heart to take.

The Boston city limits were within his footfalls as the sun reached mid-height the next day. He was relieved, but he was also more edgy than before, mostly due to the adrenaline and anticipation of being with her again.

Dismounting his horse after tying it off to a hitching post on the outskirts of the city, Ben rushed into the taverns he came across, every single one of them that he could find. The questions he asked were all the same, and they vaguely recalled seeing a woman of her caliber a few days prior, but that was all the information they could divulge at the moment. Ben began to be disheartened once again.

Out on the street in the marketplace, there was a bustle of folks who were busy getting all that they needed for the day or for the week. He started to think that he would never be able to discern her position in the midst of the chaotic crowds, and that's when he saw the one person who could actually help him: Georgie's maid and close confidant, a medium-skinned woman named Sarah.

Ben slipped up behind her and upon meeting the dark-haired woman with work-calloused skin, the smile he received was one of shock and confusion.

"Mister Tallmadge," she half-burst, quickly tripping over herself as he shushed her in his own discrete way. "I see you have heard of our return."

Ben nodded feverishly and rewet his lips with an eager tongue that would soon be plagued by drymouth. "Of course!" he whispered hoarsely. "Where is your mistress?"

Sarah gestured with her head in the direction of the next market over. "She is there...looking for flowers, I think, though her favorites are not in-season."

Ben gave her a brief smirk before darting off, suddenly self-aware and thankful that he had actually recalled to remove his uniform and muss his appearance to blend in properly among a city of red-coats.

His heart fluttered and flapped its wings, attempting to take flight before it had even mustered the chance to see its one desire again, and in the light of all that was happening and in the sea of unfamiliar faces, a coo of laughter - a sound that seemed to Ben like the tinkling of angels' wings or of the purr of a dove - caught and held his attention, anchoring on the only thing he had to rely on where Georgie was concerned: memory. Memory served him correctly. She was there.

Up ahead, there were several hundred people rushing to and fro in gathering supplies, but she stood out. She truly was a diamond in the dirt, a beacon of hope and of a prospective future that had once died but was being rekindled the instant he heard her laughter.

Their love was like laughter itself - banking on ups and downs, on the trigger of something enlightening to encourage it to lengthen itself. The genuine aspect of laughter relied solely on the idea that something caused it and that the cause was based on happiness or of silliness or of the idea that humor must be cherished and appreciated, and that is how Ben had always looked at his relationship with Georgie.

Now she was here before him and he wanted to cry with joy and relief and everything in between, but he didn't. He remained in the shadows, watching her as she made her way slowly down the marketplace. Ben waited until she was at a specific corner of the street before he approached her in silence, his eyes reflecting all that he was feeling inside.

Georgie's eyes met his and, for a moment, neither said a word to the other. Emerald met cerulean and crystals were shattered. Seconds, perhaps minutes, passed without a second thought and the tears welled up in both sets of eyes as each struggled to maintain composure in the middle of the street.

"Ben..." she exhaled, the sound of her voice wavering as her hand planted itself flat against her stomach and a smile upturned the corners of her mouth. "My Ben...my God..."

Ben nodded. "My love," he returned, stepping one bit closer to her. "I heard - "

Georgie shook her head, putting her hand up to his lips to silence him. "Not here." She took him by the hand and dragged him behind her into an alleyway nearby, one that was secluded and away from the rest of society, away from prying eyes and judging looks.

As soon as they were in complete exclusion, Georgie threw her arms around Ben's neck unabashedly and sobbed out her relief, her feeling of safety. Ben, too, pulled her into the circle of his arms and released his inner frustration, the feelings of loss finally coming to an end.

"I have missed you so!" she confessed, her voice shaking amid the pressure she placed into his outer coat.

"I feared the worst when you were suddenly gone - I knew it must have been your father!"

Georgie nodded, pulling back her scrunched, slightly slobbering face from his coat and pulling his face into hers by her ungloved hands. Her smile was wide, and his was reflective of hers, his hands wrapped possessively around her back and up over her shoulderblades as a means of not letting her go. "It was, my love - oh, it was!"

"We shall discuss it - for now, I need your lips." Ben chuckled to himself, quickly leaning in and meshing his mouth to hers in a sweet cascade of lost kisses, almost as if he was making up for the time they had lost on her forced venture back to England.

They had plenty of time to discuss it, but, for now, deep kisses and long, held-back tears were the order of the day.


	2. Chapter 2

With the taste of his eager mouth lingering on her lips, Georgie pulled back from Ben just enough to lean her forehead against his and to feel more at-ease to breathe him in than when their mouths were interlocked in a passionate weave of lost time. Her bare hands held his neck, fingertips pressed into the mixture of scruff and long hair that had been growing since she had last seen him. He was beautiful and he was hers and he was _here_. The latter point was what mattered the most to her at the moment.

She sniffled back the mucous moisturizing her nostrils and blinked away the tears that had been threatening to fall as the others before them had. Her exhale was his inhale. They were becoming one person once again, and neither could think of a happier time than this moment.

"When did you arrive?" he muttered, his voice a bit husky from the feelings and the lust he felt for her. His hands moved up to cup her face in such a manner as if she would break if the wrong pressure happened upon her skin. "I only just learned of your return."

"I have been back for a few days," she answered, her tone breathy and heavy. "My aunt and uncle have allowed Sarah and I to live with them - their hospitality was unexpected."

Ben chuckled as she took deep breaths in between each of her words. His lips showered her cheeks, forehead, and the sides of her neck with gentle presses, each one filled with more love than the previous. "I needed you here with me..."

Georgie nodded, her hands tugging him closer to herself by the tails of his shirt. "It was my father, Ben. You _know_ I would never abandon you free of will."

Ben knew that - _of course_ he did. Still, having her here with him again after a year of not being with her, not seeing her, being unable to touch her...it was almost too much for him to bear and the sheer presence of hers was immensely intoxicating, positively suffocating him with her dire affections. "That rotten bastard stole you away from me. I swear, when I am able to get my hands on that man, I shall steal you from him so he will know my pain."

Georgie paused, finally able to catch her breath and allow her shiny blue gaze to meet his with an all-knowing sort of sheen. "Ben, my father is dead." The words she spoke hit him as a hammer strikes an anvil. He truly had not expected that news - not one bit. "He died shortly after our arrival in England."

"Georgie...I am so very - "

"Don't say it." She shook her head, one hand placing itself flat against his chest. "There is a special circle of hell awaiting that man on judgment day. Let God handle him now."

Ben nodded, completely in agreement. "I have never been more thankful for a man's death than hearing of his. You...you are back with me in a country that will soon be free."

Georgie smiled faintly at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and lacing her fingers at the small of his back to rest them comfortably. "I love you, Ben."

Ben's eyes fluttered closed at the sound of her voice saying his name. "Not nearly as much as I adore you, my love."

 **::::**

Georgie relayed all of her reunion with Ben to her servant and dear confidant, Sarah. Sarah was a woman who had been with Georgie throughout their entire lives, through all of the heartache and the hardships. She had stuck by her mistress in all things both good and bad, and had never once thought of betrayal or abandonment. In return, Georgie had sworn to herself to do good by Sarah.

One day, Georgie realized, Sarah would meet a man of her own and wish to have with him what she, herself, shared with the Tallmadge boy. When that day happened, she wanted to make certain that her dear friend was educated enough to carry on by her lonesome, her mind attuned to her surroundings and her spirit able to cope with whatever would surely be thrown her way. Georgie was teaching her how to read and write in English, as well as learn to decipher and write in a few more foreign languages. Of course, she knew of all of them by heart, and wanted to share her knowledge with someone who would be able to not only appreciate what she was being taught, but who could also put it to good use.

"It all sounds so romantic," Sarah confessed, tending to Georgie's bodice. Some of the laces had loosened from her contact with Ben earlier, so Sarah was busy tightening them so as not to raise suspicion with Georgie's relatives. "When will you see him again?"

Georgie sighed, checking the pins in her hair to ensure stability. "I do not know. We were too busy reconnecting to think of our next meeting." In truth, she knew that Ben would see her again in a few days and that letter correspondence until then would be the best methods for communication. "We promised to write to each other - in English, of course."

Sarah giggled, pulling the knot in the laces tightly. "In what other language would you write if not your native tongue?"

"Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, French, Polish, and Danish are my best and strongest languages, so any of those would suit us well."

Sarah chuckled, almost more to herself than to anyone else. "Your aunt and uncle will surely suspect something is amiss if he visits you unexpectedly."

Georgie nodded in agreement, readjusting herself until her outfit and appearance were straightened out. "That is, of course, why he will not visit unexpectedly. Everything must be arranged. Of course, I will need your assistance with that if you are willing to - "

"I will help," Sarah interjected as she put things back into their rightful places and tidied up around her mistress's room.

Georgie was shocked by her maid's willingness, her _eagerness_ , to assist her and Ben with their conjugal visits. "Sarah, the acceptance of this could be dangerous for you."

Sarah shrugged her shoulders slightly. "We have been through _much_ danger already. I will be there for you when you need me."

Georgie smiled gently. "My dear friend."

 **::::**

 _My dearest Ben,_

 _Boston misses your sweetness, and I miss you more than ever. This place is not truly a home when you are not present. If only you could be here with me - perhaps this place would not seem as lonely._

 _My aunt Josephine has been more than gracious in her acceptance of my presence. I attune it to the fact that my cousin, dear Elizabeth, died of consumption before she was of-age, but perhaps it is merely the true kindness of her heart. My uncle Harris has been willing to accept that I am now with them, but his bleeding heart is an encroachment on my stoicism._

 _Sarah has expressed her will to assist us with whatever we require. I have told her that such sacrifice is unnecessary, but she is adamant and I cannot refuse her. Her loyalty is something beyond admirable. I would be dead if she was not beside me, but that story is one that must be explained when I see you again._

 _I have not told them the entirety of my story, but, then again, I have not told you all of it as well. There is so much to be said, my love, but I fear that what I have to say is best said in-person and not written down in a correspondence with the embodiment of my heart's desire attached to it._

 _So much has happened since your departure from me the other day, though I understand your need to return to your post. I cannot have you be hanged for desertion - then I would have no reason to live._

 _You are everything to me, Benjamin Tallmadge, and to be near you for the brief amount of time that we spent together a few days ago was enough to sustain me for now, but I cannot tell how long this bout of insanity will last. You are my all._

 _Please write back to me as soon as you are able. I must know how you fare and when I shall again be in your arms. I long to be with you more than I have ever wanted anything in my life and I do not yet know what the future for us holds. I merely know that you are all that I require for happiness to be mine._

 _I love you with all that I am, Ben._

 _My love is yours,_

 _Georgie_

 **::::**

 _My love,_

 _Hearing from you was all that I needed. To know that you are safe is to be reassured that all I want is also safe. The fact that you are welcome in Boston means so very much to me. The mere reassurance that you have a family to take care of you reminds me that you are not in the arms of mishap and that you are in the arms of angels._

 _Your words bring life to me amid all of the darkness I see on a daily basis. War is so trying, my love, and I need far more than I receive. My men are loyal, but my work is strenuous at-best. I wish that I had you at my side to give me comfort and remind me that I am loved by femininity and not merely by the spoils of the war I am forced to face._

 _Every morning, it seems as though the ground is soaked with blood and the air strains with the echoes of painful cries of despair and injury. I want to take their pain away, but I am not God. I do not have that power within me. If I did, I would be back with you, my love, and not placing my life on the line each day for the life I want to live._

 _The blessing of seeing you recently was as a dream come true for me. I have longed to touch your skin, to feel your lips pressed against mine, and to hold you as I once did. You are so near and yet so far away from me, and that brings me more pain than when I woke from a forced slumber to see that you were gone from me, taken away by the man I wished would give you to me._

 _Your approval of Sarah's willingness to help us is a comfort to be sure. I wish to see you again as soon as possible, but I understand that arrangements must be made. You are a much-needed rest from the bloodshed and I need to be with you whenever we can arrange it. Of course, I will need the approval of General Washington, but the reprieve will surely be seen as much-needed and well-earned._

 _You are the light of my life, Georgie. Whenever I am not with you, I cannot breathe. You are my breath, my reality, my dream. I love you more than I love anything or anyone._

 _You are beautiful and a vision. Envision my arms around you and I will be there._

 _Yours forever,_

 _Ben_

 **::::**

 _Major Tallmadge,_

 _Your presence is requested at the behest of my relatives. Entrance through the main doorway is prohibited, though admittance by way of the balcony is accepted. Nine o'clock sharp shall suffice. I do hope that you will arrive promptly and stay for the duration of the requirement._

 _Yours very sincerely and respectfully,_

 _Georgina Dockery_

 **::::**

 _Miss Dockery,_

 _Your invitation is humbly accepted. I shall arrive at the scheduled time and will remain there for the entirety of the required time. Leave of absence has been pre-approved by General Washington and I shall abide by his instructions to stay three days in total. I hope that this will be the end of our correspondence as my acceptance should provide enough vitality in the merging of our similar needs._

 _Until then,_

 _Major Benjamin Tallmadge_


	3. Chapter 3

Georgie's hands wrung together in a silent form of anxiety. The anticipated arrival of her heart's desire hung in the air like a wet fleece all about her. She saw to it that her aunt and uncle were safely and preparedly ready to face their trek to Lexington, the site of their yearly visit made to visit her uncle's side of the family and their British allies that lived there. Their trip would last nearly a week, so Georgie had arranged for Ben to stay with her only three days of that six or seven, if only to avoid the possibility of colliding with her family upon reentry into Boston.

"We shall lay flowers for Elizabeth for you," Aunt Josephine promised with a bittersweet kind of smile as a couple of servants moved their trunks into the carriage waiting on the bustling street outside.

"Here," Georgie said, taking a bouquet of daisies that had been wrapped in a light bolt of lace and handing them to her stunned and rather distressed relative. "The lace is of my own creation and, as you know, daisies are my favorite."

Aunt Josephine pondered the lace with her fingertips, chin quivering at the thoughtfulness of the gift. "The pattern here is not of daisies, dear," she commented, her eyes flickering up to meet her niece's with confusion. "They are of lilies."

Georgie nodded. "Lilies were Elizabeth's favorite."

Aunt Josephine's eyes welled with tears as she cradled the bundle in her arms and leaned in to give her niece a light kiss on her cheek. "We shall not tarry more than a week."

"Six days at the most," Uncle Harris interjected, "as I must return prior to Friday evening."

This was news to Georgie. If there was to be an event happening at their home on Friday next, it meant that she was unaware of the nature of such an event or what this could mean with her presence now looming in the house. "What is occurring on Friday next?"

The carriage-driver from outside finished a soft-spoken conversation with Aunt Josephine. "We will tell you all about it in correspondence, dear. For now, we must go."

"Take care of this beauty - all of you," Uncle Harris said as he embraced his niece and the servants gave him dutiful attendance in a light bow to signify that they had not only heard what his request was, but that they would also abide by this.

Her Uncle and Aunt were soon out the door and stepping out onto the front stoop to wave goodbye was a custom that Georgie surely would not miss. She waved to them with a bright smile before watching their carriage turn the corner onto the next street, and then her fleeting feet carried her swiftly back into the house.

"Is everything prepared for his arrival?" Georgie questioned of Sarah, now speaking in hushed tones.

"Aye, madam," she responded in an equally low-volumed manner. "The cook has been made aware that there will be another guest here for a few days and that his presence is to remain off-record."

"Excellent." Georgie glanced out the window beside her as she rounded the turn of the stairs leading upward, noting that the sky was turning a much more orange shade against the paneled walls. "Night will be here soon, and so will he." She topped the last stair and made her way into her room. "Help me undo these ties."

Sarah was a bit stunned. "You mean to undress before he arrives?"

"No," Georgie said as she began to pull the pins from her hair, "not _entirely_. Just into something more comfortable - a nightshift and a dressing gown."

"Then you mean to go to sleep before he arrives?"

Georgie shook her head, stopping when she approached her vanity, gazing into the mirror to make certain that all of her hairpins had been removed. "My intention is to be more comfortable so that, when he is near me, I may finally be at rest in knowing that he is safe. Besides, he will probably be winded from his journey and wish to go to bed, at which point, we will."

Sarah chuckled as her fingers made quick but careful work in untying the ribbons at her mistress' back.

"What is that sound for?"

"Do you intend to lie with him tonight?"

Georgie stopped, turning around to give her friend a more serious expression. "Even if I _did_ , is that any reason to laugh?"

Sarah's expression changed into one of more stern reproach. "No, my lady."

Georgie turned back around to her mirror. "I do not know what will happen between us when he is here. Maybe we _will_ lie together, maybe we will not. Either way, intimacy between us should be just that: intimate."

"Of course, madam."

Georgie then broke her look of seriousness and smiled fondly. "I have so longed for him to touch me in that way, to _own_ me with his affection."

Sarah grinned at the sight of her friend's enlightened visage. "Given how the two of you are in the other's presence, I cannot see how you _haven't_ been intimate with each other."

"I love him more than all the world." Georgie's nimble digits pushed a few curls back from her face, loosening them into a more natural appearance. "With my father's previous disapproval of him and the fact that we were all the way across an ocean of distance, I believe my longing may just overflow. Then again, it may not."

Sarah gestured for her mistress to turn around and face her so that her tightly-bound dress could be inched down from her body. "Will you tell him about David?"

Georgie's eyes grew wide as she inhaled deeply to allow her abdomen to contract so that the material could be more easily peeled from her form. "I had forgotten..." Her gaze swam with memory and loss before she blinked it all away. "I _will_ tell Ben of David, of course, but not tonight. Nothing important truly happened with the latter, nothing worth telling him of immediately."

"He saved us."

"In a way, yes, I suppose he did. For now, he is just a memory - fleeting at that." Now in just her pantaloons and tights, she moved to her chestnut wardrobe and extracted her plainest and loveliest nightshift from its internal darkness, quick to pull it on, straighten it out, and then pull a velvet dressing gown of deep blue to wrap around her. "Is this too much, do you find?"

The servant glanced over Georgie, smiling softly. "You look lovely, simple, natural."

Georgie's pearly white teeth sunk into the skin of her bottom lip as she took a look at herself in the mirror. "I hope so. Ben has always said that I am loveliest when stripped down to basest form." With that comment, her cheeks heated into a blush as she burst into laughter, Sarah's own giggles following suit.

 **:::**

The streets of Boston were emptied with the night, the blue hues of the sky casting shadows along the brick streets and dimly-lit houses stringing along either side of Ben. He ducked into an alleyway at the sight of a few patroling Lobster-backs, avoiding any chance of being seen as he was still in uniform, though a cloak covered such knowledge in spite of the darkness engulfing him. Ben strode behind the line of brick houses, noting light fences of white encompassing each garden, the grassy areas behind the estates.

Ahead, he could see it - Georgie's balcony, a marble excellence in its own right that overlooked the row of greenery and flora that she marveled at. He knew that such sights warmed her heart and her expression, and to think of such things swelled within him a need to get to her, especially now that he was so very, very close.

Taking care in being light of foot as he climbed over the fence and into the yard, his eyes cast upwards towards the balcony, the daisy-embellished trellis leading to that vantage point reminding him of their secrecy being akin to the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet. If Ben had his way, however, no fatal ending would be had by either lover in their case.

Making his way up the trellis step by step, foot by foot, he could smell the fragrant air of his love waiting just over the balcony. The night air was chilly and with a breeze strong enough to barely rustle the heavy drapes inside of her room. Ben swung his legs over the marble and made his way to the French doors, opened just enough so that he could see her inside.

Georgie had been sitting in an armchair by the door, her nose delved into a book that he could only assume was _Utopia_ , a favorite of hers since childhood. His heart both delighted and melted at the sight of her, the sheer beauty in her simplicity enough to strike a pain - albeit, a _warranted_ pain - into his very soul. He pushed his hood back from his head, and that motion was enough to catch her vision.

Georgie's eyes swelled at the sudden sight of him, standing in all of his glory just beyond the doors to her room. She rose from the chair, dropping the book to the seat without marking her place. Her hands pushed the doors aside and she ushered him into her room quickly before locking the doors and pulling the drapes shut so that no prying eyes could see them.

"My love, you did not mark your place," he commented, reaching to grab the pages to find the very one she had been at, but her hand quickly took his into her own.

"Forget the book," she stated, coiling her arms around his waist and burying her face into his coat to just breathe him in.

Ben did not hesitate to return the embrace, his eyelids fluttering closed as his hands slipped around her shoulders to pull her in tighter. "My God, how I have missed you."

Georgie pulled back from his embrace to place her hands firmly on either side of his face and draw him down to her in a sweet, passionate kiss. Gripping her dressing gown at the small of her back, Ben eagerly reciprocated the kiss and drew her body in until the only separation between their flesh was the material of their clothes.

Breaking the kiss so that both could inhale the relief they felt, Ben searched her face with his loving eyes. With tender strokes of his fingertips he outlined the shape of her face and nose before combing his fingers into her curly locks and stealing another kiss.

"You look exhausted, love," he stated with a gentle chuckle, his fingertips lightly grazing the shadowy circles beneath her eyes.

"I _had_ to see you in," she affirmed. "If you had still not arrived and I had gone to bed, I would have missed you far too much, and - "

Ben silenced her with his mouth against hers and a nod of his head. "You may rest easy now. I am _here_."

Georgie sighed pleasurably and Ben's body ached at the sound. "You _are_. And you, sweet Ben, are also worn." She helped him to lift the cloak from his body and begin undoing his uniform jacket. "Let us then to bed."

Ben would never decline that invitation, so he nodded, helping her in undoing the buttons, his common affiliation with the medium able to make quick work of it. "I have no proper clothes for bed."

"I have a shirt for you, and your pantaloons are suitable." Georgie detached from his bodily connection to move to her chest of drawers, drawing one of them out and removing a folded white shirt from its contents. "I have adjusted the width of the material and shortened the sleeves enough that you may roll them - I know how you enjoy few restrictions on your forearms when sleeping."

Ben chortled at the knowledge she showed, removing his outer jacket and his boots so that he could pull off the top set of trousers. He turned his back to her briefly, draping his uniform over the chair where she had been seated. The final shirt was removed, baring his smooth, lightly freckled skin beneath. Georgie attempted to avert her eyes from the sight of his broad shoulders and narrow, tapered waist. She tried to pretend that she _had not_ seen the way his muscles tensed beneath the skin encasing them. She imagined that the smooth texture of his skin _did not_ dance in the flicker of her candlelight, giving him a kind of luminescence that made her very loins quake with her passion. All of those things she would deny if asked of, but, in truth, Georgie had never found him more beautiful, and that was saying something.

She handed him the shirt and watched as he unfolded it and pulled it over his head. It looked immensely wonderful on him, and her alterations proved to suit him perfectly. Though, in fairness, the perfection of Ben could not be overstated where Georgie was concerned.

He smiled at her, rolling up the sleeves to his elbows as was customary for him. "It's _lovely_ ," he said, taking her face into his hands and giving her another kiss. "You, my fair Georgie, are _divine_."

Georgie's rosy cheeks heated into a darker pink hue. Taking one of his hands into her own, she led him towards the bed, releasing him so that she could tear down her side and slip under the duvet. "Come to bed, Ben."

Ben swallowed the lump in his throat and hoped that she failed to notice the goosebumps trickling across his skin. "I had always imagined that that phrase would be said in a, um, much more _different_ context."

Georgie grinned, blushing wildly now at the sight of the red tint in his own cheeks. "I have as well, but, right now, I just want you to hold me."

Ben nodded, turning down his own side and crawling into the bed beside her, eyes never leaving hers as he shifted closer to her. "Promise me that I will never lose you again - "

"You _won't_ , Ben. I am _yours_."

"I almost died when I learned that your father had taken you away from me. It was too far and I couldn't get there to save you. For me, my life was over."

"Shhh, my sweet," Georgie said, nestling against him with her nose aside his. "We have plenty of time to discuss all of that. Right now, it is just Benjamin and Georgina, and the warmth and love we share. I have my own confessions to make in time, but let us rest. Tomorrow, the thick of it shall be uncovered."

He nodded, realizing in that moment that she was right. They had time to discuss the darkness of that painful year, but this moment was lovely and was purely them. He smiled and gave her a final kiss to the lips for the night before wrapping an arm around her to allow the other hand to be laced tightly with hers.

Georgie rested her head in the crook of his neck and as her ear caught the echo of the heart beating within his chest, she closed her eyes and allowed the tears to fall.


	4. Chapter 4

Ben's eyelids fluttered open slowly, his vision taking a moment to straighten out as he awoke. His every instinct instructed him to run away for his body was in a strange location, one that was open-aired and made known to the populace inside of the home. It wasn't until he shifted and felt Georgie's warmth beside him that he was able to relax and remember that he was a guest here and that included here, beside her, in her bed.

A soft smile crossed his lips as he settled his body against hers, propping himself up onto one elbow so that his free arm could trace the outline of her face and bare shoulders with tender touches and graceful movement.

Never before had they been so intimate, so closely wound together in a mix of sheets and exposed skin. Of course, both were still clothed, but the fact that this moment showed the most susceptibility of being naked together had Ben's mind tingling with anticipation.

He had missed her so much, so being here beside her and feeling the way her toes curled around his was enough to swell his heart and make his insides long for an eternity of dawns such as this.

Georgie stirred, a light shade of brunette curls over her face covering her eyes, and Ben hooked a finger around these locks and pushed them back and behind her ear as her eyes opened, revealing her wide hues glistening in the morning sun peeking into her room through the glass panes.

"Good morning," Ben whispered, the smile still pasted on his mouth.

Georgie gave a soft sigh and Ben moved in closer to nestle his nose against hers. She smiled in return, her eyes meeting his and her arm hooking around his body to pull him in closer. "Morning," she murmured in return.

Ben respectfully declined to be any closer and, when met with a confused expression from his love, he sighed. "It is morning indeed, Georgie, my love. Until I, uh...until I _settle down_ , I should not be any closer to you."

Georgie was admittedly lost in what he meant, but upon seeing him bundle a large clump of sheets over the front of his pants, she burst into groggy laughter accompanied by a shade of red pressing into the apples of her cheeks.

Ben cleared his throat, his face a wild shade of crimson as he averted her gaze. Georgie shifted her body away from his and began to rise from the bed, but not before cupping his face and gifting him with a warm kiss.

Georgie crossed the room to her large, chestnut wardrobe and opened the doors to reveal her lavish and varied set of accoutrements. The groaning creak of the door hinges made her cringe at the sound.

"I will grease those hinges later," Ben offered, now sitting up and watching her from across the room. "It sounds as though they never have been."

Georgie shrugged her shoulders as her hands sifted through her clothing. "I would not at all be shocked if that were true," she answered, a hint of sleepiness still on the cusp of her voice. "My aunt had this imported from her personal carpenter back in England long before my cousin Elizabeth was born. This was to be hers...but you know her story already."

Ben nodded, familiar with the untimely death of Georgie's cousin. "I do, yes."

Georgie pulled a dress from its hanger, wanting to keep her attire simplistic and comfortable for the day. She was not out to impress anyone aside from Ben, but he loved her as she was, so she was to remain as independent of her helper as possible. As she slipped behind the wooden divider, a screen to shield her body from prying eyes as she dressed for the day, she peered through the decorative holes at the top, her eyes meeting Ben's before she stripped down into nothing but her unmentionables, noting the look of emptiness behind his usually vibrant blue hues.

"Speak your mind, Ben," she coaxed, hearing him sigh.

"What happened to you during that year?"

Georgie's eyes fluttered momentarily closed before reopening so that she could pull her dress down over her head. "What happened to _you_?" was her retort to that.

"I was lost." Georgie's heart sank. She couldn't see him at that moment, but the way his voice cracked was enough to make her want to weep. "I...there were times I wanted to die. I couldn't sleep, couldn't concentrate on anything much to the behest of my superior officers. Strange things happened to me. Food had no taste. Any dreams I had were nightmares. I lost you again and again on a nightly basis, and every night, I was unable to bring you back to me."

"Anything specific that I should know of?" She adjusted her breasts within the neckline of the dress, loving the way that the vertical stripes of grey looked against her figure as she peered into the mirror reflection of herself.

"Caleb helped me through it. He tried time and time again to do something drastic, something that would help me forget you. He even...he even attempted to give my virginity to a prostitute that he hired. I refused her. I couldn't even let anyone touch me unless that person was you." Georgie smiled at that sentiment, tousling her curls with her fingers and pulling back just enough to keep most of her tendrils loose and flowing. "Truth was...I didn't _want_ to forget you. You were out there - I could _feel_ it. There was nothing much that I could have done from my end to get you back without being court-martialed and hanged for desertion." Ben paused in his speech, and Georgie could feel the disparaging guilt he felt when he spoke the last few phrases. "I regret that you were forced to do all the work, my love."

Georgie sighed under her breath, knowing that the truth must come out. "Ben?" she said and she could practically feel his body come to attention. _My brave soldier_.

"Yes?" he responded.

"Could you come help me fasten the laces on my dress?"

The soft pads of his feet patted the floor as he made his way over to the divider. As he rounded the wood curtain, the sight of her dressed in a simple, homely gown was enough to make his body yearn to take it off of her, strip her down to bare skin, and make sweet love to her for years. He swallowed back this urge and hoped that the friend within his trousers would stay at-bay so as not to frighten her.

"Georgie," he sighed, and she turned to face him, smiling in his direction.

"What is it?" she questioned, self-conscious under the weight of his stare. "Is it too much? Too little?"

Ben shook his head, coming closer to her. "You are the most beautiful creature on God's earth." His compliment forced a blush into her cheeks and goosebumps to prickle up from under her skin, facts that he quickly took notice of.

Georgie turned her back to him and pulled her hair into a curtain of waves over the front of her body. "I cannot reach them alone." Her head remained turned slightly, just enough that she could see him as he approached her. His warm breath caressed the back of her neck as he made gentle and quick work in tying the cinching laces at her back.

All the while he did this, Georgie's eyes were glued to the mirror standing in the corner, her entire body visibile in its evidence and her love's head just over her shoulder. She was silent as she watched him, almost completely overwhelmed by his presence. She feared that, in any second, he would disappear from her and she would wake up to find that she had dreamt this moment, this dawn, from her confined space back in England. So many nights were wasted in sleep-deprivation, the fear of losing him again and again each night almost proving enough to consume her.

Her chin quivered as he finished up, and then his eyes moved their gaze to the mirror, glances crossing through reflection. "Too tight?" he questioned, hoping that he hadn't harmed her in any way.

Georgie shook her head as he slipped his arms around her waist and she rotated within his grasp to drape her arms around his neck. "Not at all."

Ben caught sight of the well of tears forming in her lower eyelids and his heart ached at the thought that she was presently saddened by something. "Georgie," he whispered, raising a hand to her cheek so that his thumb could catch the tear as it fell from her eye, "whatever is the matter?"

"I missed you _so_ much," she confessed, resting her forehead against his chin.

Ben pressed his lips comfortingly to the crown of her head, shaking his head as he pulled back a bit to look into her eyes. "Is that any reason to be saddened?"

Georgie nodded. "A few days of this happiness will soon see you swiftly taken from me again. I _cannot_ survive losing you again, not after all that happened to me over this year."

" _What_ happened, my love?" he asked. "Tell me _everything_."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

 **::::**

 _As you know, my father had you drugged and apprehended to prevent you from saving me. What you were unaware of was that my father had me drugged as well so that I could not refute his capture of me. His men, brutes that he had hired, locked Sarah and I into the brig of the ship we ventured on, and, there, I would remain for the entirety of the journey back._

 _When my father allowed me to be awakened, I rushed to the top deck of the ship in a panic. When I surfaced, I realized to my bitter horror that we were within sight of England and that you, my dear Ben, were now an ocean away from me. If I had been awake just after ship launch, I would have jumped overboard and swam to you, to home, but I did not and now all I could do was bide my time, though I did not bide it happily._

 _I was, naturally, thrown into a horrible inward struggle with utter despair. I had lost you, the embodiment of all my heart's truest desires, and now would have to wait until I could again be in your arms. I confided in Sarah, my only confidant and the one person in whom my trust could be given completely. She comforted me, especially since she had learned early on in the voyage of my father's treachery._

 _We arrived in England and everything in me felt as though it had died and left my body. I plastered the widest, fakest smile that I could across my face and kept to myself, knowing that it was just a matter of time, as I told myself._

 _Father was ill, I realized, as soon as we set foot on that island. It came swiftly and ferociously, waylaying him and confining him to his bed just as he confined me to the home. He was dying - I could feel it. So I placated his wishes and made myself out to be the best and most loyal daughter, when, inside of my soul, I was rejoicing that his end was nigh._

 _How could I ever forgive a man so self-involved that he put my life and, more importantly,_ _your_ _life in danger to achieve his ends? How could I view him as anything but a demon, a monster bent on my torture and destruction? How could I live in knowing that you were so apart from me, literally an ocean of distance away from where I could touch you?_

 _Months went by and Father only succumbed to worser and worser conditions. Each week, another portion of him failed. I did not have to wait for the end of the war - I just needed to wait for the end of my father._

 _When he died, I felt_ _nothing_ _. I wept out of sheer relief that his evil had been vanquished by the Almighty's interference. It was then, and only then, that I was able to muster the courage to put my plan into place and return to the colonies having been freed of the anchor strapped to my boots._

 **::::**

Ben listened to her story intently, finding that the vehemence she felt for her father had been vindicated in his death. He, too, was relieved that the horrible man was gone and that he could be free of the harsh weight that once threatened to crush their love.

While he wanted to delve deeper into her emotions and the events of that year, he refrained, reaching out to down a swig of the cold milk in his glass.

As she spoke, the pair had ventured downstairs and into the kitchen after Ben dressed himself, of course. They were seated over breakfast and Georgie took a bite of her hardboiled egg as Ben watched her with a smile.

"How did you come to get back to me?"

Georgie swallowed her bite prior to speaking. "Sarah and I boarded a small, poor vessel bound for New York," she explained. "It was not much, but it was enough to get back here."

Ben's brow furrowed. "Small vessels are normally sailed by smugglers, vagrants, rough types." Georgie's gaze remained down toward her plate, eyes not meeting Ben's as he was correct in that assumption. Quickly, he reached across the table and took her hand into his, beckoning with his eyes for hers to find his stare. She did, a remorseful look on her face that pressed him further. "Georgie...what type of men were these?"

"Vagrants and horrible men mostly," she confessed and Ben sighed, releasing her hand and gripping his napkin with a kind of frustration she had not been used to.

"Did any of them touch you?"

"Heavens, _no_ ," she stated quickly, shaking her head firmly as Sarah entered the room to fill their cups with coffee. "But...one of them _did_ notice that we were women."

"How could they _not_ know - "

"We were disguised as dirty men. It was the only safe way to remain as unseen as possible. This beast knew that we were women...said he could _smell_ the difference in us, and that is cleaning up the phrase." Ben's eyes closed as anger swelled within his chest. Georgie took notice, reaching her hand underneath the table to grip his knee. His eyes met hers once again, a bit of softening coming to his demeanor. "He didn't touch... _me_."

Ben was confused at her meaning until she glanced sideways at Sarah, whose hands were now visibly trembling. "Sarah," Ben said, garnering her wavering attention, "did that man _touch_ you?"

Sarah nodded, her skin covered in tremors. "Aye, Major," she admitted. "He did. He would've done _more_ than touch me, but...Miss..." Georgie's gaze fell away from Ben's and her grasp released from him. She pushed back from the table and stood, wringing her hands tightly together as she turned her back to her love. "...she..."

"What did she do?" Ben questioned, eyes remaining on Georgie's back as he felt her entire aura shift into something darker.

"...I...I _killed_ him," Georgie mustered and Ben's face fell.

"My God," Ben uttered, resting his face into his hands.

"I did not know what else to do. He threatened to rouse the entire crew and reveal our sex to them, which would jeopardize our position and possibly cause us to lose our lives. For me, that was _not_ an option. He was so close to me, his breath reeking of too much ale, and he began a diatribe of heinous things that he wanted to do to both of us. I thought quickly...before I could stop myself, I unsheathed my dagger - the one you gave me, love - and slashed his throat."

Ben gulped down the lump that had formed in the back of his mouth, one of nerves that he had never felt be on-end because of something she had done. He could feel her sorrow over what she had done and the pain it had caused her, so he rose from his chair and approached her.

He wrapped his arms around her and linked his hands together at the front of her abdomen, stepping even closer to nestle his face into the side of hers. "God will forgive what you did, you know," he reassured, his voice tender.

Georgie relaxed within his grasp, laying a hand over his and hooking the other around his head so that her fingers could comb softly through his hair. "And what of _you_? Do _you_ forgive me for taking a life?"

"The loss of his life brought the revival of yours back into mine," he stated, chuckling a bit at the confusion of his wording. "You are _alive_ and you are right here in my arms because of what you did. If you hadn't done that..."

"Don't say it," she said, spinning around within his arms so that hers could coil around his waist and pull him in for an embrace as her cheek laid against his chest. Ben's arms moved a bit to accommodate her, his cheek resting on the top of her hair as one hand caressed her back.

"I suppose you should've known, Major, that something like that would happen," Sarah stated upon reentry into the dining room and her eyes spotting the embracing lovers. "A woman as beautiful as Miss Georgie can only go so long without being noticed and chased. I suppose it was Fate that brought him to her in that time."

Ben's look of confusion was noticed by a suddenly sheepish Sarah. Georgie released Ben from her grasp.

"Thank you for that," Georgie said sarcastically and Sarah's tanned skin turned dark from a blush of heat.

"Who are you speaking of?" Ben questioned, folding his arms across his chest.

"...I'm sorry..." Sarah said, scurrying from the room before she could answer.

"What the hell was _that_ all about?"

"I assume she saw us and thought I had told you of him," Georgie explained vaguely.

"Of _whom_?"

"Lieutenant David Sterling."

"And who is he?"

"He saved our lives."

 **::::**

 _Upon our return to England, Father made it very clear that we were not going back and that any prospects I sought from you, dear one, were beyond over. He stated that he had won and that the spoils of his family battles declared that he was the sole owner of all that I was, and all that I would be. As such, any doling out of marriage would be set by him and him alone. I was to have no say in the matter._

 _Naturally, I was numb to this. I was numb to everything. Remember how you told me this morning that nothing worldly mattered without me? How food had no taste and life had no meaning? That's how life in England was for me - it wasn't even living. It was surviving...it was a lull._

 _My father assigned a young lieutenant to my care. His name was David Sterling. He was a soldier under my father's personal command. He was tall, slim, had brown hair just like yours. I think it was my father's sick way of trying to replace you, Ben, with another...with a British man. I think he was fooled into believing that I could somehow transfer my passion for you to this man...but he was so very, very wrong. Love is non-transferrable, especially when of the truest and purest kind like the love I bear thee. Besides...I did not wish to ever love another nor could I even if I tried._

 _That poor lieutenant tried to get me to love him, but I didn't. He tried to stay by my side night and day, but I evaded him whenever possible. Given that my father had me contained to our estate, I was often at the side of the lieutenant._

 _He tried his hardest to persuade me to love him as he so clearly felt for me, but I cautioned him time and time again that my heart could never feel that way for him. Still, he pursued me and I allowed him to be my companion_ _in my dark days. David was honest and true, but I dare not even look upon him for fear that I might feign seeing your face, dear love, and mistake David's love for yours._

 _You would not at all be surprised that the day my father died, the joy that I felt was responded to with a sudden and unwarranted kiss from him. I did not kiss him back and, in fact, I struck him out of the shock. He never did anything like that again, though his apparent love for me did not falter._

 _He was loyal to me - I credit him for that. Without his friendship, I wouldn't be here telling you of any of this. You see, it was Lieutenant Sterling who arranged my passage across the sea with Sarah. It was he who saw us to the boat and put us onto it. It was he who gave his word as a British officer that Sarah and I were good, able-bodied men who were more than familiar with the riggings of a ship and would pull our weight until docking in the colonies._

 **::::**

Georgie took Ben's hands into her own and drew them up to her lips. "I owe that man my life, not my heart," she assured him, her tone soft as her lips pressed to his knuckles and felt his muscles tremble from the contact. "My heart is not his to have nor would I ever give it. It has always belonged to you, Benjamin Tallmadge, holder of my heart, embodiment of my love, my soul incarnate."

Ben watched her kiss his hands continuously, the gentle presses of her lips sending his yearn for her into an ache. "Marry me, Georgie," he requested.

Georgie's eyes widened as her eyes lifted to stare into his. "Ben..."

"I know," he said with a definitive nod. "I know you must conceal what we have and what we are, but I just...I cannot contain my love for you any longer." He stepped closer to her.

"Ben, you are a soldier, a confidante to General Washington. He trusts you and needs you. I live in the lions' den itself, at the heart of the British servants sent here by the king to command that the lives here be owed to the crown and not to hearth and home. We are both in danger always...if we were to unite - "

"I know it's dangerous." He paused. "Do you not want to marry me?"

Georgie shushed him with a kiss, a passionate mesh of mouth against mouth. "With every fiber of my being, I want nothing more than to call myself your wife. I do not, however, want my first days as a married woman to be filled with worry when my husband cuts our delights short to go and fight on the front."

"I fight for _you_ , Georgie. I fight for _us_ , for _our love_ , for the prospect of having the freedom and creation of a family I want for us."

Georgie nodded fervently, her hands cupping and caressing Ben's face tenderly and sweetly. "I know, my love. I know."

Ben sighed, his eyes glowing a new kind of essence that Georgie had so longed for and missed. "Then let us wait for a wedding but _exchange_ thy love's faithful vow for mine. Marry me in spirit."

Georgie grinned at the sound of his voice recalling lines from Shakespeare to persuade her to swear love for him. "I gave thee mine _before_ thou didst request it," she returned, and he grinned at her recognition. "...and, yet, I would it were to give again."

Ben's expression grew serious for a moment. "Wouldst thou _withdraw_ it? For what purpose, love?"

Georgie smiled up at him, shrugging. "But to be frank and give it thee again." She chuckled, the tears welling within her eyes. "I wish but for the thing I have. My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep. The more I give to thee, the more I have." She sniffled back the tears as they made their way down her cheeks, still risen with the smile reflecting the love she felt for him. "I will follow thee, my lord, throughout the world."

Ben, too, began to well with tears, though these shared drops of water were of happiness, not of sorrow. Ben kissed her deeply, allowing his lips to trail across her jawline and down the side of her neck. "So thrives my soul," he murmured against her skin, the heat of his breath sending waves of pleasure down her spine.

"I love you with all that I am and ever could be," she vowed, sighing pleasurably as his lips moved back up toward her mouth.

"You _are_ my life, Georgie. My sentiments come from my heart. They are worth no more than that." He cupped her face and allowed his forehead to rest against hers. "That is all that I have to give."

"I want nothing more," she confessed, her lips meeting his with a fiery fervency.

Though their real wedding would come much later, the fact that vows of passion and promise had been exchanged between the pair was more than enough to sustain them for now and serve as reminders of the abandoned fight they sought to continue.


	5. Chapter 5

Wide eyes grew even wider at the recognition of the words before them. Her heart pounded within her chest. The evening post had brought the letter that her uncle promised her prior to their departure, and now, the arrival of his explanation was enough to send her mind into a race with the ideas that it sparked. In a flurry of emotion, Georgie rose from her seat at the table and rushed up the stairs to try and find Ben.

"Ben!" she called out, though no answer came. "Ben!" She rounded the landing of the stairs' top, gaze scattered about as she searched frantically for her love. Instead, she caught sight of Sarah. "Sarah, where has Ben gone?"

Sarah glanced towards the back-facing balcony outside of Georgie's bedroom. "He went out to the balcony to get some air," she responded, gathering up Ben's uniform so that she could wash it. "I will make certain that no one outside this home sees this."

"Thank you," Georgie stated gratefully, patting her friend's shoulder as she hurriedly walked out to the balcony and felt her heart murmur even more at the sight of Ben standing there in plainwear, the twilight making his fair skin and soft brown hair outline in a halo effect. He had washed his hair that afternoon, and now, the waves flowed down to his shoulders in the most masculine way that a man with long hair could appear. "Ben..."

Her voice stirred him and he turned to face her, a smile crossing his lips as he swallowed the bit of water he had just sipped from his glass. His smile quickly faded at the flustered look of his love, and the worry grew. "Love? What is it?" he asked, coming closer to her and ushering her back inside of the house.

"I have _found_ it," she explained, a wide grin still pasted on her lips.

Ben was more lost than ever. " _What_ have you found?"

"I have found my place in this war." She showed him the letter from her uncle. "This is what I needed." Ben's eyes found hers and silently requested elaboration. "My uncle explained in this correspondence that they hold a dinner at this very house every other week. It is something that they used to do more frequently, but they stopped for some time. Now, they want to restart these dinners and I believe that my presence has assisted them in this. These dinners host a large group of British subjects, Loyalists, and especially officers in the Royal Army." It was Ben's turn to look wide-eyed. "They will be here, in this house...and that is where I can come in."

"How so?"

"They will be relaxed and will share information with my aunt and uncle. They share conversations on present events and on the status of military operations. He wrote that my aunt wishes to show me off to the 'fine, British officers' who would be interested in me as their match - " Ben interrupted her with a solid kiss to the lips as if to remind her that she belonged to him. " - though my heart is forever entwined with another. Even so, I am a _woman_. Women are unsuspecting. As the fairer sex, in matters of espionage, we have the upper hand."

Ben grinned and laughed softly at her words. "Georgie, that is _perfect_! Washington requested that I try and find someone of worthy acclaim to seek out information in this area, and you are in the prime position for that. It's _genius_!"

Georgie nodded emphatically, the smile on her lips refusing to relinquish. "Would Washington accept me as a source, do you think?"

"Given what you have just showed me, I should say he will _have_ to." Ben licked his lips and straightened his spine. "How are you with your languages?"

"Firm," she stated proudly. "I often return to my notes from university and quiz myself on their contents."

"Could you use them interchangeably?"

"How do you mean?"

"For letters of correspondence, code must be used - encryption. Washington has a civilian man in charge of the invention of new methods for being more secretive, and he was quite livid when he learned that, initially, Abe and I were not using encryption in our exchange of information. You know several languages of which the attainment of a cipher is nigh-impossible. How is your Danish?"

"My Latin and Danish are undoubtedly my best."

"Then use them, but focus on Danish particularly."

"You did not study Danish in school. How could you decipher what I am attempting to say?"

"You will create a cipher for us to use at base camp. With it, we will be able to decode what you are saying."

"How shall I write the information?"

"Interchangeably with normal English, but words replaced here and there where you wish to say something that only I will be able to understand."

"In what way will I write to you?"

Ben stepped closer to her, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers. "How else would a lover write to her beloved?"

Georgie smirked. "Love letters...addressed directly to you, but encrypted so that in case of interception, they cannot be undone without my key." She chuckled under her breath. "That is ingenius."

Ben nodded. "Indeed it is."

"This how I help the colonies win the war," Georgie muttered, pulling Ben's face down to hers so that she could push her forehead to his.

Ben's hands slipped around her back, resting just at the bottom hem of her bodice where the material darted out and became pleated down into the lower half. The material was thick and heavy, but he knew that she was aware of where his hands were. She pulled away from his face, her expression full of solemnity. Georgie craned up a bit to plant a kiss to his lips, keeping her eyes open the entire time. She then moved away from him and toward the door, pushing the heavy frame of it closed until the latch clicked, and then locked it. Ben was utterly confused as to what she was doing until she turned around to face him once more and leaned her shoulders against the door, her upper row of teeth sunk into her bottom lip. That's when he knew.

He swallowed the hard lump of nerves that had bundled within the back of his throat as she approached him once more, her gaze never leaving his.

Georgie reached up to her hair and pulled out the one pin that was truly keeping her hair in place. She shook her head, allowing her waves to flow freely, and Ben was suddenly swept away with the scent of the perfume in her hair as it entered his nostrils and all he could feel in that moment was pure love.

Georgie turned around to have her back to Ben, pulling her hair over one shoulder to expose the laces of her dress. Silently, Ben stepped up to her, his breath now wisping against her neck and giving her shivers from the warmth. His fingers slowly and carefully undid the laces to her dress, the satin ribbons loosening her bodice from its constriction. When he finished, Georgie turned to face him once more and pushed the sleeves from her shoulders, the frame of her dress following as she pulled the material free of her body. When she had stepped out of the hoop of heavy material she'd just been wearing, Georgie gathered the lump that was her dress and crossed the room to her divider, tossing it over the top so that it would not lay in a heap on the floor.

She was in naught but her skivvies now, and Ben's heart pounded so loudly he thought it might burst from his chest. The way her body moved beneath the fabric of her clothing was enough to cause a stiffening within his trousers, but more from her beauty and less from lust.

Georgie moved back to Ben, now exposing more of her skin that she had ever shown him before. Her arms were free and her legs from the knee down - Ben had never seen her skin there before and, now that he did, his entire body ached to touch her.

"Ben..." she whispered, reaching up to undo the buttons on his shirt.

"Hmm?" he murmured, his eyes scanning her face for answers.

"You have permission to touch me."

Ben nodded, gulping audibly and causing her to chuckle at the sound. "You know that I have never...I've never..."

"I know. Neither have I. I've been waiting for you."

"And I you." His fingers trailed along her neck and across her collarbone, gracefully caressing down her arm. The peachy softness of her skin ignited sparks beneath his and Ben struggled to keep his composure. Without warning, the tightness in his trousers became even moreso, and he groaned when a sudden wet warmth met skin and material. He blushed madly. "Dammit."

Georgie finished unbuttoning his shirt and noticed the expression on his face. Her eyes glanced down towards his trousers and then back up at his face. "...did you...?"

Ben nodded, blinking wildly as the heat beneath his cheeks pounded in synchronization with his nervous heart. "I did...I am sorry. So sorry."

Georgie's hands took his face into their gentle hold, forcing him to look at her. "No matter. I will have Sarah wash these. There is a first for everything."

Ben sighed. "I love you so much." He leaned in without a sound and planted his lips firmly to the side of her neck, leaving kisses along that area and across her collarbone to her shoulder. The warmth of his breath and lips against her skin forced a gentle, pleasurable moan to be released from her mouth. Her fingers slipped beneath the material of his shirt and she pushed the material from his torso. Ben made quick work in removing his arms from the sleeves and allowing the shirt to fall to the floor.

Georgie ran her hands along the smooth skin of her love's fair body, the muscles beneath the lightly freckled surface tensing wherever her hands did touch. Stepping in a bit more, she placed her lips against the pulsing vein on the side of Ben's neck, forcing him to withdraw his mouth from her shoulder and groan lightly at the feel of pillowy skin pressing love's tenderness into his war-worn flesh.

Her fingernails lightly grazed over his abdomen and around his pectorals, resting for a moment in the transparent wisps of hair in the center of his chest. "Ben, you are a god," she marveled, and this earned her a sweet, deep kiss from her love in return. Georgie began to lift the top portion of her underwear up and over her head, breaking the passionate meeting of lips temporarily to expose her breasts to him.

Ben's eyes softened at the sight of her ample bosom now bared for him to see. With one hand, he palpated his knuckles along the sides and underportion of her breasts, the tender skin tightening from his stroke, and earning another loving sigh from his beauty.

Georgie's fingers harbored beneath the topline of his trousers and began to tug them downward. Ben assisted her in their dismissal, quick to push them aside once his entire body had been freed of all material restriction.

Her eyes scanned his body, bared in its glorious entirety before her, and she loved him all the more for it.

"Are you afraid?" she questioned, hooking her thumbs into her own bottoms and readying to pull them off.

Ben nodded. "I am _terrified_ ," he admitted. "If you are unsure, you do not have to - "

"Ben," she cooed, and he stopped midsentence to hear her speak again, "I _want_ to. You and I. Benjamin and Georgina. Our love is all that matters." With that, she drew her bottoms down to her ankles and kicked them to the side, now completely nude before him for the very first time.

Ben's eyes drank her in, the vision of her curves melting his fears away. As he noted the thin patch of hair just above her lower extremities, all he felt for her was the deepest and sincerest love. "Georgie, you have never looked more beautiful than you do right now."

Georgie blushed heavily and reached out for his hands. When he took hers into his grasp, she backed away toward the bed, and he followed. Their gazes were locked together amid loving smiles as she laid herself gently against the softness of her mattress and Ben propped himself over her, bending his arms at the elbows so that he could dip in for a kiss as their bodies shifted into a more proper position.

Once he was placed between her legs, the warmth of extremities flush against the other, Ben broke the kiss and stared into her eyes. "You may still say no," he cautioned.

Georgie bent her knees and placed her arms around his neck. "Don't," she whispered, and he was confused as to whether or not she meant for him to pull back. "Don't stop." He nodded at her words, glancing down and taking his once-again stiff member into his hand and guiding it towards her core. The heat radiating from her folds was enough to make his loins pulsate as he struggled to put himself into her. A sharp pain forced Georgie to gasp and shake her head rapidly. "Not _there_. _Not_ there."

Ben withdrew hastily, a heated shade of red rising beneath his humiliated cheeks. "I am so sorry! I did not mean to hurt you - so sorry."

Georgie silenced him with a kiss. "Let me help," her mewling voice said demanding his body be joined to hers. She trailed a hand down his body, the first touch of her hand to his penis that she had ever experienced. She bit her lip and grinned when his breathing shuddered from her gentle hand coaxing him into the proper entryway.

Once she had guided him there and the invasion of his force of bodily means had been engulfed by the smoldering heat of her mysterious shade, Georgie accepted his entrance into her by reflecting her pleasure with her eyes, careful to keep his gaze as he continued to press further into her territory. She winced from the stinging soreness that came over her, as was to be expected of a virginal margin broken by the bonds of much-awaited connection. Ben's brow slanted, fearful that he was hurting her too much, but she beckoned him to continue with a nod of her head.

"Is it truly painful?" he questioned, sincerely afflicted by the grievous expression on her lovely visage.

"Yes," came her reply heavy with breath, "but do not stop until you are entirely inside and can go no further."

Ben obliged her request, the feeling of her tight body, walls swallowing his piece whole, enough to send shakes along his skin, chills bursting goosebumps beneath the surface. He could push inward no further, so he stopped. "That is as far as I can reach."

"Let it settle there for a moment - I must become accustomed to this feeling." She shifted her hips slightly, feeling the mass of his manhood stretch her enough to the point of comfortability. Taking a few deep breaths of her own and placing soft kisses against his neck and chin to reassure him that she was still with him, she settled back against her pillow. "Proceed."

Ben's entire body was involved as he pulled slowly out of her, the dampness of her walls stroking his member in a way that he had never before experienced, let alone expected. His gaze was cast down at where their bodies had formed together as two pieces from a puzzle, careful not to pull entirely from her. Ben reached the point where only his circumcized tip remained enraptured by her heat, and he slid back into her, his face once again meeting hers.

Georgie stopped him from using his whole body in the second thrust. "Ben," she cooed, grasping his face with her hands, "try not to use your entire being in this - try using your hips only. I want your face to remain linked to mine as we do this."

He graced her lips with a tender kiss as he modified his exit strategy. It took a moment of true focus for him to move his hips in such a way that he could still prod himself into her juncture properly and acknowledge modification based on her request. His mind battered around his feelings - why was he treating intercourse so technically and professionally as if he was planning battlefield skirmishes? He _adored_ Georgie more than anything or anyone else in his existence, and he wished to show her that here and now.

It was then that he, Major Benjamin Tallmadge, let himself go. His hips softened in their movement as he continued his thrusts, each one in time with the last. Georgie's body renounced her rigidity, fully pliable to his motions and without constraint. Their figures melded together as though they were carved from the same bit of marble, etchings connected only when together as now, like pieces of broken glass at last coming together as they were meant to.

Of course, only a minute or two into this newfound method of lovemaking - though, in fairness, _all_ methods were new to the once-virgin lovers - Ben's body shivered and released his juices into her, the orgasm producing a moan from his body that left Georgie only half-satisfied and still riding the ecstasy.

"Shite," he said as his face met the crook of her neck and he caught his breath. "So sorry. I tried to make it last, but it...I couldn't."

Georgie chuckled, dropping her legs to a flat position on the duvet. "It is forgiven," she assured him, moving his face back up to be over hers once again. "We shall try again in a minute or two."

Ben liked the sound of that, sharing a sweet smile with her before his lips crashed into hers, cascading together in perfectly synchronized movements.

They would, indeed, try again only moments after the first finish. This one, as was to be expected, lasted much longer and left neither of them unsatisfied before each collapsed into a deeper slumber than either had ever had, limbs wound together and the slight stain of blood on the sheets as proof of the bonds broken and remade that night.


	6. Chapter 6

Georgie's eyes remained locked on the upper portion of her bed, the canopy a dark shade of red which seemed aflame in the morning light. The rising sun cast a yellowing shadow across the room, illuminating all features with the dawn. Lying on her side, she watched the pulse at the side of Ben's neck raise and lower the skin, his warm breaths grazing her knuckles as she raised her hand to gently caress the tender flesh.

The peachy hairs on the surface of his tender neck tensed slightly at her touch. She smiled as he released a contented sigh, leaning in to give his pulsing neck a sweet kiss.

The moment her lips came into contact with his skin, Ben awakened. He pushed his fingers through her hair and gripped them enough to pull her head back from his neck and meet his mouth in a spicy morning entrapment.

Georgie chuckled into the kiss, pulling away so that her eyes were looking directly into his.

"Good morning," Ben muttered, his voice saturated with grogginess.

"Indeed," she responded, nuzzling her nose against his.

"What we did last night was - "

" - immaculate."

Both blushed at the memory, shifting their bodies to be closer together.

"How was I?" he questioned, his blue eyes haunted by the impending answer.

"You were wonderful," she replied, her fingertips tracing the outline of his face. "You were exactly as I wished you would be, but you were also so much more than that. My virginity was always yours to have, and I could not have selected a more perfect time to gift you with it." Ben kissed her again, his lips giving her an extra peck after they had separated.

Georgie's turn to ponder her choices came with averted eyes and lip-biting. "How...how was _I_?" she inquired.

Ben turned her chin up to look at him directly. "You were... _divine_. You were lithe and sweet, you were attentive and sensual. I was not out to force you to give me your virginity - it was not mine to take. I merely wanted to love you, to show you how much I love you, how much you mean to me, how dead I would become if I ever lost you again."

Georgie's hands cupped his face within their grasp. "I am right here," she reassured him. "I am not disappearing."

"I love you so much," Ben mumbled quickly before diving in for another passionate kiss and another round of the deepest and sincerest form of love-making.

 **::::**

"No, this one _must_ be in _your_ hand," Ben instructed her gently, "that way I always have a piece of you with me." Georgie smirked as she continued structuring the cipher onto the pages of the small book lying opened on the desk in front of her. "Of course, after last night, I will be taking more than just a book filled with your handwriting when I go."

She chuckled softly as he stooped to place a tender kiss against her forehead, leaving her at her desk to work on her writing as he continued to search for an inconspicuous hiding place within her furniture. "Tell me again what you are exactly looking for, Ben," she requests, the quill scribbling away on the thick parchment.

"I am searching," he said, eyes and fingers feeling around every nook and cranny to find a good spot for her copy of the cipher, "for the best place within which to hide your cipher. You will know just where it is, and it is kept out of immediate sight so as not to draw attention to it."

"If anyone spots it and demands to know what its contents are, I will simply state that it is a diary in which I scribe my deepest and most harrowing secrets. To read it would be simply preposterous and would cut me down to my very soul."

It was Ben's turn to laugh from across the room. The sound of it would be a memory Georgie would take with her and cherish - like the most ornate church bells, a beacon of hope on the horizon and of better days to come. "I like that - clever and seemingly mundane, but complex enough that no one would dare cross a lady of means and her personal thoughts."

"None but _you_ ," she quipped, and he whistled out his impress.

"Indeed," he agreed, coming up behind her and placing his hands around her throat - not in an asphyxiating manner. Rather, he was stroking her, the skin that he possessed access to, and was teasing her with his touch, distracting her with the need for his body and hers to conjoin once again. "...though, admittedly, I actually have a cause for knowing those personal thoughts."

"And what," Georgie exhaled, heavy breaths behind her words as she struggled with the physical pleasure and the lust she felt, "dear sir, would that cause be?"

Ben knelt by her desk chair, his hands removing the quill from her fingers and pulling them down into her lap where his hands held hers with a purpose. "That cause is all I live for. The cause is this: that I am in love with the diary's author. I wish to marry her as swiftly as I possibly can, though I know time and many obstacles are in our way." Georgie smiled gently, her eyes welling with tears as she released one of her hands from his grip to caress the outline of his face. "I gave her my heart long ago, and, last night, I relinquished my chastity to her, and she to me, and this night will be something I cherish until we can be united as man and wife."

"What would you ask of me right now, my love?" Georgie questioned, cupping his jaw with her tender touch.

Ben tenderly rubbed his face against her palm, eyes briefly closing at the shockwave of sensuous feelings washing over him. "I want to be yours for always."

"And you _are_."

"I want you to be _mine_ and mine alone. Marry me someday, Georgie."

Georgie grinned, laughing through the tears falling. "I am so silly. It's embarrassing."

Ben shook his head, reaching out to pull her down to press his forehead against hers. "Not at all," he whispered. "I know we can't be formally engaged as of yet, but perhaps a pre-engagement will suffice. I just want to carry the weight of my bride-to-be with me when I leave to give me a greater purpose to continue fighting."

Georgie's eyes fluttered closed. "Ben," she cooed, and he swallowed hard at the pain behind the way she'd said his name, "I do not know if I am ready for the weight of us."

Ben smiled, nudging his nose against hers and swiping his thumb beneath each of her eyes in turn to absorb and wipe away the tears. "My beauty, you have been ready for some time. If you were not, you would not have returned to me at all costs from an ocean of distance."

She knew he was right, but she also did not want to add that weight to him and it prove to be a negative thing for him. "I love you, Benjamin Tallmadge. It has been my dream to be your wife from the moment I met you. I accept your pre-proposal engagement."

Ben laughed, closing the distance between lips for a tender kiss. Georgie kissed him back a multitude of times, each of them sharing smiles. She pulled back from him and sniffled hard, wiping her face and taking a deep breath. "Now, back to this cipher."

"Yes, my bride-to-be," he teased, and she swatted playfully at him as he stood and moved over to her night table. "What do we have here?" He studied the drawer carefully, pulling it out and examining the material beneath her hand mirror and bristle brush. Rapping his knuckles against the wood bottom, he could hear a hollow sound. Near the front face of the drawer, he could see a small toggle roped into the bottom. Lifting the toggle, Ben was not at all surprised to see that the drawer had a takeaway section hidden beneath the seeming bottom of the drawer. "I believe I have found the perfect place to keep your cipher, and it took minimal effort."

Georgie was confused, rising from the desk and crossing to where he stood with the hiding place on display for her to see. "I was unaware that this table was made with such a feature."

"It would appear that someone in your family wishes to keep secrets."

"Or, perhaps, they are unaware that their furniture possesses such a thing."

Ben moved over to the table at the other side of the bed, pulling that drawer out to search for the same feature. It was, admittedly, absent. "This table is lacking such a feature. It would appear your family is keeping more secrets from you."

Georgie appeared to be unwavered at the idea. "Well, I am still just becoming acquainted with them." She paused her speech, jotting down the last bit of details for her cipher. "It is completed, my love." She rose from her desk chair and met him halfway, flipping through the pages to show off her handiwork. "It _is_ in Danish, though there is a complete dictionary in the back resplendent with concise descriptions as to the meanings."

"This is sheer brilliance!" Ben stated, eyes conveying his awe at her efficiency. "And it only took you..." He grinned, staring out the window to see the darkness outside. "...all day to complete it." He closed the book and met her gaze, one fraught with guilt.

"You...you have to leave in the morning," she states, chin quivering slightly, "and we have wasted away the day scribing a cipher."

Ben shook his head, placing the cipher down onto the desk. "This was _not_ a wasted day, Georgie." His words were a comfort to her, but his arms wrapping around her to bring her in for a full embrace were definitely the more comforting option. "We still have tonight. Do not fret."

"Stay with me, Ben," she pleads, her hands clumping his shirt material within her white-knuckled grip. "Lie with me...please."

He can instantly glean that her phrasing is specific, that she means for them to simply lie there all night instead of actually laying her down for intercourse. Georgie had always been precise in her phrasing, a talent that Ben had yet to learn from her. He nodded, and they did just that.

 **::::**

Bodies closely entangled with hands and eyes clasped firmly together was how the lovers spent their night together. Occasionally, Georgie would express her fears and then Ben would calmly placate her. Then there were times in which nothing but silence was shared. There were times of sweet kisses, and times of painful tears. The two remained on the bed all throughout the night, neither succumbing to leaving the other's side. They could not afford to waste any time with Ben's impending departure with the sunrise.

The sun's faint pink glow began to swell in the skies outside of the little sanctuary they had made to envelop them within the love they never wanted to be parted from, but neither noticed the coming dawn. Neither cared to. Dawn was nothing but the coming of separation between two people so wound together that parting them would be as the tearing of scabs, of the gnashing of teeth. It was something to be feared, not something to make them stronger. They were never stronger than they were when they were together and their love was allowed to be as free as it demanded.

When the dawn finally began to surface its unwanted head above the horizon, Ben forced himself away from Georgie so that he could begin to gather his things and dress himself properly. He knew of who would be returning, and he knew that they were not the sort of people to be later than their word. Of course, he also knew how pained he was to leave his love behind for now, so why prolong the pain he knew was lying in wait?

Georgie sat up from behind where his back has turned to her, shaking her head as she shifted herself to be closer to him. "I always thought that once I had returned to you, I would never again be forced to leave your company," she stated, her voice wavering beneath choked-back tears. "I do not wish for you to leave me."

"I _must_ go," he said in the most comforting way he could manage, "or die if I stay now, as you _know_ I will should anyone unsavory discover my presence here."

He continued to try and pull on his boots, but Georgie would have none of that. She wrapped one arm around his waist and the other she used to turn his head to face her. The crushing pain expressed on her face not only softened Ben's heart, but forced him to drop his boots to the floor to free his hands to comfort his devastated love.

"I cannot lose you again, Ben," she said through her broken heart. "I have already lost you once, and it nearly destroyed me. I could not bear it if you died in reality. I am lost without you. How can I go on if you are not here? A taste of your presence once more has wounded me beyond healing, and though I do not regret a moment of it, I will not survive should something happen to you."

The depth of her words swayed him, and with his hands cupping her face, he drew her in for a tender kiss, one of comfort and of promises kept secret. "Then let me be taken," he said, beginning to quote Shakespeare to her in a way that had never been coincident with their own lives. "Let me be put to death." He chuckled softly, and Georgie, too, began to loosen up. "I am content so thou wilt have it so." He paused, nudging his nose against hers as his hands moved to her waist. Ben nimbly rotated her so that she was on her back and so that he was above her. Her hands placed themselves firmly against the sides of his neck, eyes flashing over his face as he hovered over her. "I have more will to stay than will to go."

Georgie craned her neck up to meet his lips in a flurry of emotions. Passions swirled around the pair, and Ben moaned into the kiss as he felt their heat arising once more. Her hands gripped him to keep him close, but Ben was not about to lessen their closeness in proximity. Instead, he deepened the kiss and then moved to leave heated suctions and presses against her jawline and the sides of her neck.

It was at that moment, of course, in which Sarah burst into the room in a panic. She instantaneously averted her eyes from the lovers, who immediately stopped their passions, though did not pull apart.

"I'm sorry, Georgie," Sarah said, still keeping her eyes from the pair. "Your aunt and uncle have returned to the city and are nearly here."

"Shite," Ben muttered, immediately jumping up from the bed and rushing towards his clothes and the items he had brought with him. Georgie, too, rose from the bed and began to help Ben redress and to gather his belongings. Sarah left the room while they readied, more than likely to keep watch for her relatives.

Ben began to put on his proper trousers, Georgie making quick work to fasten the buttons while he worked at putting on his coat. "Here," Georgie said, helping him step into his boots so that she could pull them up for him.

"I swear," he started to say, waiting for her to pull up his boots before he could rush about the room and gather the items he knew he couldn't leave behind, "the moment I return to camp, I will be describing your situation to Washington and urge him to trust you. Hopefully, that will be enough to sway him in our favor and see you as the intrinsic asset he has just gained."

Georgie nodded, straightening herself so that she could rush to the bedside table and lift his copy of the cipher from its hiding place. "Tomorrow night, I will do my best to glean what I can from tomorrow night's dinner and prepare the information to send out to you on Saturday."

Ben's bag is full of his items now, and Georgie is able to give him the cipher, meeting him in the middle of the room.

Sarah returned to them, frantic as ever. "They are on the street outside," she blurted, eyes conveying the need for an immediate rush.

Georgie took Ben firmly by the hand and pulled him onto the balcony, her breathing labored and heart racing. Without missing a beat, Ben drew her closer with his hand delicately but deliberately holding her face, fingers woven into her hair to press lightly into her scalp. Passionate mouths met, and there was a deep kiss shared between the lovers, two people just yearning for more time.

Georgie's fingers gripped the bottom sides of Ben's coat with a possessive nature. She gave in to his kisses, deepening them by allowing his tongue to gain entrance into her mouth and wrapping her own around his.

The mesh between them was only broken by the flood of tears draining from Georgie's eyes amid the kiss. Ben, too, began to sob, while Sarah hurriedly worked at ridding Georgie's room of the evidence of Ben's presence. She quickly removed the sheet bearing the blood of Georgie's broken virginity and tossed it to the back of her armoire, departing the room in search of clean sheets and pillow covers.

Georgie retracted from him, her eyes leaking out the pain of letting him go for now, and Ben placed his hands on both sides of her face, leaving soft kisses on the crown of her head and her temples. Wide eyes gazed up into his soft blue hues, large tears having soaked her lengthy eyelashes. Ben swiped away her tears with his fingertips, but her sadness continued to flow. "When shall I see you again?"

"It _must_ be soon," Ben commented, and she nodded fervently in return. She had the appearance of going into hysterics, so Ben kissed her again a few more times to delay that. "My love, all these woes shall serve as sweet discourses in our times to come." It was then that Ben shed his own tears, meeting Georgie's gentle kisses along their trails as their mouths found each other once again.

Sarah came back into the room with clean sheets. "They have arrived," she stated, her hands making quick work at placing the clean sheet onto the bed.

Ben and Georgie kissed each other quickly, hungrily, almost as if this was the last kiss they would ever have. "One more, and then I must go," said Ben as his hands continued to grip her hair and keep her close for their rather deep meetings between mouths.

"Ben, I love you so," Georgie said as her chest heaved, the pain really set in with her goodbye.

Ben's forehead remained pressed against hers, his hands stroking her face as he nodded with her words. "This hurts so terribly." They kiss once more, this time a soft, unmoving one before he departed from her body, hands clasping onto hers as he began his descent down the balcony. His eyes never left hers, even as he brought her knuckles to his lips to serve them a gentle press, and then turning over her hand to place his lips against her palm. Her sobs turned into more deep, painful breaths as she watched him. "I love you so incredibly much, Georgie. You are everything."

Now he was halfway down the lattice work outside of her balcony, and their grip of hand to hand was at complete arms' length for both of them. Ben gave her a soft smile, which she returned through her pain, and then he released her hand and jumped down the final few feet from her, and took off, readying to hop the fence at the back of their property before giving her a loving gaze, and then disappearing from her sight.

Georgie sunk to her rear on the brick, her legs having buckled beneath her. One hand she placed against her chest as if to help her breath, and the other, the one which Ben's lips had graced moments before, rubbed the memory of his lips against her cheek as a comfort.

"Romeo and Juliet..." she muttered to herself. "If such is to be the case, then I shall say that you, Love, are called 'fickle.' If that be true..." She paused, allowing more tears to fall. "...be fickle _now_ , and send him back to me."

She waited, almost as if she was waiting for Ben to miraculously return over the top of the fence, but when he didn't, she knew that parting truly was sweet sorrow, and that she must say 'goodnight' to their love for now, especially since the 'morrow' on which they would again see one another was to be quite a distance from them now.


End file.
